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circumstance that a native who accompanied Mr. Henry 
Drummond perceived that an apparent wisp of hay was 
a living creature, although the Professor was quite un 
conscious of the fact. But «in point of fact it is not a 
question of civilisation or barbarism, or of habits of ordi 
nary observation or indifference. The facility of observing 
such phenomena and seeing through their disguises is 
dependent upon the degree of actual experience in the 
observation of individual cases. If the civilised man, the 
barbarian, or the quick-sighted animal had only a motive 
for exercising keen observation, there is no reason what 
ever to doubt that the most complete disguise would 
avail nothing. We will take the familiar example of the 
hare, concerning which Mr. Poulton says :— 
“Among the mammalia it would be hardly possible to meet with a 
better example of protective colouring and attitude than that of the 
hare as it sits motionless, exactly resembling a lump of brown earth, 
for which indeed it is frequently mistaken.”—{The Colours of Animals. 
P- <>7-) 
And yet the hare is not concealed, even when seen from 
afar, from the eye of the experienced sportsman, although 
it be quite invisible to the eye of a novice. Naturalists 
and sportsmen tell us that sometimes it is the eye only 
which reveals the presence of the animal and makes 
its concealment a vain thing. Somerville (though Dr. 
Johnson spoke slightingly of his poetry, saying that “he 
wrote well enough for a gentleman”), was a keen sports 
man, and may be trusted to write from experience when 
he says :— 
“ Ah, there she lies ! how close ! she pants, she doubts 
If now she lives ; she trembles as she sits, 
With horror seized. The withered grass that clings 
Around her head, of the same russet hue, 
Almost deceived my sight, had not her eyes, 
With life full-beaming, her vain wiles betrayed.” 
—(The Chase. Book ii., lines 137-142.)